Yamaha has seen its level fluctuate in recent races. Fabio Quartararo was sometimes able to fight for positions in the top 10, even if fuel shortages deprived him of a few points twice in three races. It is nevertheless with a certain apprehension that the Frenchman returns to Phillip Island, where he only took 14th place last year.
The bike will not evolve this weekend and Quartararo once again expects to be very dependent on track conditions, a phenomenon that he has often described in recent weeks, and which according to him explains the inconsistent results. When the level of grip is good, it can claim good results, but falls into line when the conditions are less favorable.
This is where Quartararo’s hope lies since a new asphalt, which seems to offer good grip, could reshuffle the cards this weekend at the Australian GP…
What’s new?
There is nothing new. […] Nothing, really.
What’s number 1 on the list?
Grip. In 2, power, and in 3, pfff… traction, grip, electronics… Everything that is linked to traction and power is something that we really need it.
On this circuit, can you forget about the problems and just drive?
The thing is, if we don’t worry about the problems, we’ll never be focused. For us, it’s quite important to focus on what we need and what I think we need to improve, so we always have to think about our concerns.
Fabio Quartararo
Photo de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Can the reinforced construction of the rear tire help you?
Honestly, I have no idea. […] I don’t think it will be a good thing for us but we will see. We’ll have to see tomorrow. I don’t know what the weather will be like tomorrow but it will be important over the weekend.
Misano 2 was positive, Mandalika less and Motegi even less. Which race was the most representative of Yamaha’s level?
Japan, because our bike depends too much on track conditions. If the track conditions are good, we can be much faster. If they are bad, return to reality on the bike, in the back. We can’t depend on the track conditions, we have to depend on our bike and on that, we were able to see in Japan that when we depend on the bike, we have a lot of trouble. Remy [Gardner] and Alex [Rins] also suffered a lot in Japan, we were last in the standings so that’s something we really need to change. It is very linked to the track conditions.
The M1 has long been good here. Is Phillip Island still a favorable circuit for Yamaha?
Clearly not. Last year, for me here it was one of the worst tracks we went to. Afterwards, they redid the asphalt. The Superbike was super fast and I think it will be good for us because the grip seems better.
